Psychometric properties of Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders-Clinician Version (SCID-5-CV)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of Structured Clinical Interview Version for DSM-5 (R) Clinical Version (SCID-5-CV) in a population of patients with psychiatric disorders in Tehran.

The study population included all outpatients and inpatients referred to three psychiatric centers in Tehran, namely Iran Psychiatric Hospital, Rasoul Akram Hospital, and Clinic of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Psychiatric Institute). Inclusion criteria included age between 16 and 70 years, informed consent to study, ability to understand and speak Persian, and no specific physical problems that interfere with the conduct of the interview. Also, exclusion criteria included inability to communicate, mental retardation or dementia, severe symptoms of acute psychosis, and severe restlessness. In addition to demographic questionnaire, Persian version of SCID-5-CV was used in this study. Finally, diagnostic validity, test-retest reliability, and inter-rater reliability were used to evaluate the information.

In terms of the kappa criterion, for all diagnoses except for anxiety disorders, kappa was above 0.4 as a result of agreement above average, but in anxiety disorders with kappa 0.34 there was a moderate agreement between psychiatrist and SCID interviewer reports. Also, according to the psychiatrist's diagnosis as the gold standard, in most diagnoses, except for anxiety disorders, kappa was higher than 0.80, indicating the desirable characteristic of this tool in the diagnosis of disorders. Sensitivity of all diagnoses was higher than 0.80.

According to the findings of the present study, SCID-5-CV can be used for diagnostic purposes in psychiatric clinics and hospitals and to evaluate the treatment process of patients. In general, this version is suitable especially the schizophrenia spectrum and other psychiatric disorders; however, using SCID-5-CV for anxiety-related disorders should be done with caution.